


the announcer.

by turnaboutcafe



Category: Haikyuu!!, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Magic, Fluff, Hogsmeade, M/M, Magic, Meet-Cute, Pining, Quidditch, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, theres iwaoi if you squint hard enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:27:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24120568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turnaboutcafe/pseuds/turnaboutcafe
Summary: when hufflepuff's star quidditch player is injured in a defense against the dark arts class, akaashi thinks that it was a stroke of luck, until he finds out that said player was assigned as the quidditch announcer.and said quidditch announcer wouldn't stop talking about how hot his body looked during the match.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 15
Kudos: 271





	the announcer.

**Author's Note:**

> tl;dr - self indulgent fluff and harry potter au because i needed it in my life. 
> 
> this ended up way longer than i meant it to be, someone take my laptop away.

Akaashi took a seat in the Great Hall, his plate piled with all sorts of food. As he set his plate on the table, he could feel the eyes of his fellow Ravenclaws gaze enviously at the tall pile of sausages, eggs and bread on his plate, but he couldn’t care less, silently settling next to another Ravenclaw. From the pocket of his quidditch robes, he extracted a piece of paper and a pen, eyes tracing the paper as he followed the strategies drawn throughout the paper, forcing the movements into his memory, imagining himself on the quidditch, the flying of the other players in his mind’s eye. As he silently chewed on his eggs, he continued to draw more diagrams across the already filled paper, mind whirring as new strategies came into it, all supplemented by the incremental enjoyment of his meal.

Suddenly, the table jolted, another person slipping into the table next to him, greeting him with a loud cheer. Looking up from the diagram of the quidditch field for the first time, his eyes met the person next to him, who was waving cheerily at him.

“Akaashi-chan,” Oikawa greeted, placing his plate of roasted potatoes on the table. “How’s the strategy for the match going?”

Akaashi ignored the presence of his captain, answering his question with a short, monotonous reply as he redirected his attention to the paper. “We should be able to beat out Hufflepuff today. We’ve been training more than they have, and our strategies are all in place.”

“We’re depending on you to catch the golden snitch then, Akaashi-chan!”

Once his question was answered, Oikawa immediately turned to another person on the table, cheerful chattering filling the halls as he talked to them animatedly, explaining his previous quidditch win with whoops and whishes, sound effects escaping his mouth comically. Despite the distraction, Akaashi kept his eyes glued on the paper, drawing yet another new formation that the team could use for the match that day.

“Hey,” a voice greeted him, taking the seat opposite him. Looking up, Akaashi’s gaze met the face of a boy, a fifth year, also dressed in blue and black quidditch robes. He settled a small plate of breakfast on the table, resting his Firebolt on the chair, the handles gleaming in the light. From around him, other students looked longingly at the firebolt, but immediately shifted their gaze as they met the cold, calculating blue eyes of the fifth year.

“Hey, Kageyama,” Akaashi greeted, shoving a piece of sausage into his mouth this time. “How are the other chasers?”

“They’re fine,” Kageyama nodded. “They should be down in no time, and we trained for an extra hour yesterday. We have a good quidditch team this year, I think we can win against Hufflepuff.”

“We have to,” Akaashi commented, “or Slytherin will take the house cup… again. We can’t keep letting that happen, we have to up our quidditch game.”

Kageyama nodded in agreement. “Are there any players in Hufflepuff we should be wary of, in your opinion?”

Akaashi turned his body to scan the Hufflepuff table, eyes narrowed. Several of them were dressed in their quidditch robes already, the yellow and black evident amongst the throng of usual uniform robes. As he looked, he tried to scan the familiar presence of the opposing team’s chaser, one that stood out to him. He couldn’t quite grasp his name, mind wandering as he tried to think of what it could be.

“There’s a chaser from Hufflepuff,” Akaashi responded. “Apparently supposed to be really gifted at Transfiguration, though he’s hopeless at other subjects. He played for Hufflepuff against Gryffindor last year, and they won. He must’ve scored 100 points or something. It could have been a faulty goalie on Gryffindor’s side, but Hufflepuff almost never beats them. He’s like a dark horse.”

“What’s his name?” Kageyma asked, chewing on his toast.

Akaashi racked his brain, but nothing came up. “I’m not sure. I just know he’s one of their star players. He’s meant to be really good, probably the team captain.”

Kageyama nodded thoughtfully, poking his fork at the toast he had on his table. “I’m not sure if it’s true, but I heard that one of Hufflepuff’s main players got injured, so he can’t play in the match today. I heard some fifth year Hufflepuffs in my Potions class complain about it because he’s supposed to be their main player. Do you think it could be him?”

Akaashi fell silent, mind still trying to think of the name of the opposing team’s star chaser. He was definitely a year above Akaashi, well built and tall. He looked like he frequented the quidditch pitch, crazily dyed hair and honest reputation amongst almost everyone in the school. Akaashi could describe everything about him, down to the usual plays he made on the pitch, but his name didn’t fail to slip his mind…

“Are you talking about Bokuto-chan?” Oikawa asked, turning to look at the two of them. “The star chaser of Hufflepuff, right? I’ve played against him, he’s a pain in the ass on the pitch; it’s almost impossible to block a shot coming from him. He’s irritably good at Transfiguration, too, always winning extra house points for some out-of-this-world spell.”

“You only say that because he’s better than you, Shittykawa,” a voice sounded from beside him, a barrage of complaints escaping Oikawa’s lips as he turned to hit the person beside him.

“I think that’s the one,” Kageyama muttered. “Bokuto-san, I think he was the one who got injured, but I’m not sure.”

“If they’re missing their star chaser, it should be easy to win this match,” Akaashi mused, turning back to his diagram. “It might be an easy win for Ravenclaw, even if our formations haven’t been perfected yet.”

“We can’t say that too soon.”

Akaashi nodded, shovelling the last piece of toast in his mouth, stuffing the paper of strategies back into his pocket. Saying a quick goodbye to Kageyama and Oikawa, he made his way to the field, quidditch robes dancing in the chilly autumn. It was a clear day, the sun high in the sky with barely any clouds to cover them, the blueness of it almost perfect, unblemished by any trace of wispy cloud. The emerald green grass was beginning to turn brown, still dotted with dew from the rain that had fallen across Hogwarts the previous night. Despite this, the remaining rainwater had tamed, barely any squelching feeling to the ground as Akaashi strode across the pitch to the Ravenclaw dressing room, bag slung haphazardly over his shoulder. 

Within several minutes of him stretching his muscles out in the dressing room, more of his teammates entered, saying quick greetings as they moved to change their clothes and polish their brooms, testing the hover of it in the air before they began their stretches. Oikawa was the last to come into the changing room with Iwaizumi, still bickering with him all the way into the room before they composed themselves in front of their juniors. As always, Oikawa had a bright smile on his face as he faced his team, lined up in rows in front of him. Iwaizumi stood at his side, nodding as Oikawa gave his usual motivational speech, the vice captain silent, yet authoritative as always.

“We’re playing Hufflepuff today, and, though it’s shitty to say this, we were graced by the fortune of the founders,” Oikawa began. “Their star chaser, Bokuto-chan, was injured in a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson two days ago and Madam Pomfrey has banned him from all matches until he heals. Needless to say, it puts us in a better position.”

“Only you would be capable of something so shitty…” Iwaizumi mumbled, earning a high pitched complaint from Oikawa.

“Either ways, with Akaashi’s strategies and their weakened team, I’m sure we can take the win for today,” Oikawa announced, triumphant as he pumped his fist in the air. “Let’s show Hufflepuff what we got!”

Cheers reverberated through the room at Oikawa’s speech, leaving all the players to quickly move in line towards the exit of the changing room, brooms at the ready. From his position behind Oikawa, who was at the front of the line, the cheers and voice of the announcer could be heard from where he was, piercing against the walls of the room, excitement seeping into the players as the buzz of cheers continued to grow louder.

“It’s our time!” Oikawa cheered, pushing the exit to the room open. As he did, the Ravenclaw team whizzed out in order, soaring through the air. Akaashi, sat on his Nimbus-2000, kept up at the speedy pace set by Oikawa, following his lead as he whizzed past the Ravenclaw section, watching as Oikawa accepted high fives from the crowd, girls cheering as the charming keeper moved against the audience. His teammates behind him did their own special moves, cutting through the air and moving through the field behind Oikawa, as if everything was planned like a choreography. Akaashi found himself doing his specialty, twirling 360 degrees in the air as he whipped through the air, earning excited shouts from the Ravenclaws, some even holding up banners with his name. The cheers of the Ravenclaw supporters continued to rise in the air, a mixture of anxiety and excitement coming into him as he watched the cheers get louder and louder. Still, he masked it, keeping to the rhythm of their entrance, coming to a rest beside Oikawa.

As Akaashi paused his broom, he looked up to watch the crowd. The Hufflepuff section was beginning to buzz, ovations rising loudly as they waved yellow and black banners in the air, the announcer almost drowned out in the sound of the cries. As the Hufflepuff cheers died down to make silence for the announcer, Akaashi moved his eyes to look at the person they had all quietened down for.

It wasn’t the usual announcer.

“Hey, hey, hey!” the announcer cheered. “After Ravenclaw’s spectacular entrance, especially the impressive barrel roll made by their seeker Akaashi Keiji, Hogwarts welcomes the Hufflepuff quidditch team!”

Akaashi’s ears burned red from the attention bestowed upon him, eyes moving towards him at the comment of the announcer. Beside him, Kageyama frowned slightly, eyes fixed on the announcer, looking at him intently.

“Why are you staring, Kageyama?” Akaashi asked, leaning over to talk to his junior over the crowd.

“That’s Hufflepuff’s star chaser,” Kageyama murmured, voice almost lost in the crowd. “The announcer!”

Before Akaashi could ask any more questions, a flurry of yellow and black came streaking into the quidditch pitch, their colors soaring through the air as they magicked yellow and black sparkles into the air, their entrance clearly choreographed. It was almost like a dance, players sweeping in and out of the pitch, following closely behind their vice captain in place of their injured star player. The excited shouts of the announcer could barely be heard amidst the cheering from the Hufflepuff section, loud clangings coming from them as they began to cheer for their house. Not wanting to lose, the Ravenclaw supporters picked up their volume, an impromptu cheering competition coming between the two. As the Hufflepuffs’ entrance came to an end, they settled on the opposite side of the court, led by their vice captain, a large man with a goatee, who Akaashi remembered as their beater. He was a seventh year, and his size showed for it.

“Today we have Ravenclaw playing Hufflepuff in one of the final matches of the school year!” Bokuto cheered, rallying up the crowd’s excitement. “Though I cannot play with my beloved house today, I am excited to be a guest announcer for the game today. Who will take the win: the defensive Hufflepuffs, or the tactical Ravenclaws?”

He was met with resounding screams from the crowd, yelling their respective house’s names in response to his question. Flashing another bright smile at the crowd, he turned back to the pitch. Akaashi was now hovering into position beside Kageyama, who flew towards the centre of the field, made to start the game due to his height. Taking in a deep breath, Akaashi calmed himself, concentrating on the game before him. Between Kageyama and an equally tall Hufflepuff fifth year flew Madam Hooch, a quaffle balanced precariously in her hand. At the referee’s whistle, she threw the ball into the air, descending immediately.

Like lightning, Kageyma’s Firebolt took a sharp turn up, catching the ball neatly in his hands, immediately making beeline for the set of hoops protected by the Hufflepuff keeper. Iwaizumi flanking him on the opposite side, Kageyama tossed the ball towards him just as a Hufflepuff chaser swooped in to steal it, precision evident as the quaffle landed neatly in Iwaizumi’s hands. In moments, Iwaizumi took a shot towards the hoops, the resounding cheer of the Ravenclaws rising as it made a score, the keeper having missed it by only a second.

“And 10 points for Ravenclaw!” Bokuto announced, no sense of spite in his voice as he announced the victory of another house. “Currently, our two seekers, Akaashi from Ravenclaw and Sugawara from Hufflepuff, have not caught sight of the golden snitch. Akaashi is just one year shy of Sugawara’s experience, yet an experienced seeker in his own right, will he be able to catch the snitch before his senior does?”

Bokuto’s ramble continued, but Akaashi could barely hear it over the cheer of the crowd. The announcer sure knew how to work up an audience.

As Kageyama took another 10 points for Ravenclaw, Akaashi silently cheered from where he was on the pitch, eyes unwavering as he tried to find the familiar glint of the golden switch, still nowhere in sight 20 minutes into the game. As he swerved around the pitch, a flurry of cheers and shouts came from the Hufflepuff section, a lanky fifth year having scored. Tearing his eyes away, he began moving swiftly through the pitch, no sign of the snitch no matter where he looked.

“Hufflepuff’s seeker, Akaashi Keiji, is finally making a move,” Bokuto announced, voice loud. “Many would say he’s popular amongst the girls because of his striking good looks, but his physique does have a role to play in that as well!”

At Bokuto’s words, Akaashi gripped the handle of his broom more tightly, swoons rising from the crowd as he cut through the air, weaving in and out of chasers in an attempt to catch sight of the snitch, dodging a stray bludger as Hufflepuff’s beater struck it towards him. Glancing up for a moment, he could clearly see the chasers falling into their places, the formation he’d set working perfectly, tosses coming in and out as their three seekers cut in and out of the Hufflepuff formation, dodging their blocks with expert rolls, quaffles only leaving their hand momentarily before another chaser caught it.

“Akaashi is also very well known for the defensive tactics he makes for his house,” Bokuto continued babbling. “It must be very nice to be smart and attractive!”

At those words, Akaashi looked up from where he was, glancing at the announcer, who was still smiling widely. His cheeks were flushed from the heat of the stadium, grins broad, enjoyment glinting in his eyes. With a frown, Akaashi turned back. He should be commenting on the match, not the individual players!

Suddenly, a streak of yellow and black passed him, pale hair flying as a broom streaked down. Eyes catching the movement of the Hufflepuff seeker, Akaashi dived down, coming behind him. Excited noises rose from the crowd as Akaashi pelted after the seeker, the sharp angle of his movement allowing him to catch up with him in moments, cold wind biting against his cheeks as he streaked after him, eyes squinting to catch sight of the familiar golden sheen of the snitch. The seeker was diving down, he must have seen the snitch.

Akaashi’s eyes were now watering against the wind, blinking the tears away desperately as he tried to find the snitch, mind racing as he tried to see what the other seeker saw. But in moments, Akaashi realized what the other seeker was doing.

Without hesitation, Akaashi pulled his broom back up, shooting towards the sky just before he could tumble into the grass, finding his way up again, regaining his altitude. Tensing his muscles, he glared down at the opposite seeker, frowning. It had been bait, and Akaashi fell for it.

“And it was a feint!” Bokuto yelled. “Sugawara was doing impressively in baiting Akaashi, but clearly it didn’t work against the sharp minded seeker. It’s no understatement that Akaashi is truly the brains of Ravenclaw. Even more so, he can probably be considered the buff as well with the amount of muscles he hides under those quidditch robes!”

Turning back, Akaashi did as best as he could to shoot a glare at the announcer, but it went unnoticed. He’d already turned away, moving to comment on Asahi’s beating of the bludger, yelling out in excitement as the bludger came near to a person before being promptly beaten away by a beater, sending it flying in the direction of the opposite team.

“It’s been 30 minutes into the game and there has still been no sign of the golden snitch,” Bokuto exclaimed. “This may go on for eternity!”

_It’s only been half an hour…_

“And Asahi hits another bludger. Where is it going?” Bokuto shouted excitedly. “Oh, and it’s streaking right towards—!”

Before Akaashi could react, a bat swung itself just inches from his face, his arms pulling his broom away from the bat in shock as he looked at who had swung it. The Ravenclaw beater, Watari, looked up at him. As Akaashi regained his bearings, he saw a bludger streaking away from him, crashing right into a young third year from Hufflepuff.

“Be more careful next time,” Watari warned, flying away. Nodding at him, Akaashi regained his focus, eyes sharpening on the field. But just as he recollected his thoughts, sound broke into his ear.

“And that was a near miss by the Ravenclaw seeker!” Bokuto exclaimed. “That bludger hitting his face would have been to reconstruct considering his unmatched bone structure!”

Pushing the words of the announcer out of his thoughts, Akaashi turned back to the game, eyes sharper than ever as he tried to observe the pitch, eyes squinted slightly against the sun, high in the sky. In his peripheral vision, Kageyama scored once again, earning whoops from the Ravenclaw team and louder clatters of cheering batons from the crowd. Even so, Akaashi couldn’t spare any moment to rejoice the score. It was now close to 40 minutes into the game, and the golden snitch had not shown up whatsoever.

Then a glint caught his eye.

Jerking his broom to angle itself towards the glint, Akaashi saw the unmistakable sheen of the flying golden ball, fluttering through the air mischievously. Streaking towards it, Akaashi pressed his feet against the gold footholds of his broom, going straight after the golden gleam. Cheers from the crowd permeated Bokuto’s comments, but Akaashi could hear none of it. All he could sense was the golden ball flying just out of arm’s reach, as if it was teasing him.

As he continued to race after the snitch, he became uncomfortably aware of the presence next to him, yellow-black robes flying in the wind so close to him that they could be touching, the pale haired Hufflepuff seeker flying just beside him, face concentrated with exertion as he pushed himself further towards the snitch. Clenching his teeth, Akaashi willed his broom to move faster, knuckles ghostly white as he gripped the handle of his broom harder, pushing as firmly as he could on the footholds, desperate for acceleration to bring him closer to the snitch. Still, no matter how much faster he went, the snitch danced just out of reach, flying in wild directions. Around him, the match continued, goals still scored and yet, the only thing Akaashi could fully register was the snitch, and the able seeker right next to him.

Slowly, he inched closer and closer towards the snitch, the golden orb beginning to lose speed as it moved in complex directions, forcing Akaashi to do all sorts of movements in the air, twirling his body into a full roll as the snitch moved between the wooden scaffolding of the pitch, eyes beginning to burn from the wind lashing against it. Still, he kept his unwavering eyes on the snitch, the seeker beside him equally unrelenting as they both rushed towards the golden orb, their objectives overlapping, yet the knowledge that only one of them could obtain it hung in the air like a heavy scent, unwilling to let up.

Grimacing, Akaashi pushed himself slightly forward on the broom, giving himself a few more inches of reach, hips nearly tipping off the broom as he adjusted his position in the air, broom still going at full speed. Slowly, he reached out his hand, stretching it as far as he could. He could feel the flutter of the snitch against his finger tips, nearly in reach, yet not quite in his grasp. Clenching his teeth, he moved further forward, painfully aware of how far down he had gone on his broom, body teetering dangerously on the handle.

_Just a bit more!_

As Akaashi leaned forward, the golden snitch was close to his grasp, so close. He just had to close his hand over it…

“Do you see those muscles? Even from hundreds of feets away, _I_ can tell you just how hot they look!”

At Bokuto’s words, Akaashi’s concentration snapped, body tumbling forwards as his hand flailed to catch the snitch, only grasping at thin air. As his body flew off the broom, wind whistled past him, cold biting his skin at the horrified screams of the crowd. His eyes were closed, the only thing he could see black as he hurtled towards the ground, stomach plummeting as he tried to grasp for a handhold, for his broom, for anything to break his fall. 

But his efforts were futile, and the last thing he heard as he seeped out of consciousness were the announcer’s worried shrieks.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Akaashi felt pain in his leg.

Slowly forcing his lethargic eyes open, he blinked several times, forcing the haziness in his vision to disappear, his surroundings blurry. Groaning, he tried to prop himself up, only to feel the stinging pain in his leg grow stronger. Abandoning his efforts, he settled at where he was currently laying, turning his head to look around where he was. The only thing his mind could register was that this, most definitely, was not the quidditch pitch.

“So you’re awake,” a voice noted, turning Akaashi’s attention to it. Madam Pomfrey moved towards him, a bottle of nasty looking liquid in her hands, a spoon in the other. Forcing himself to sit up amidst the pain in light of a visitor, Akaashi rested his back on the pillows, greeting the nurse as politely as he could in his weakened state, watching as she poured some viscous amber liquid onto the metal spoon, placing it in Akaashi’s outstretched hand.

“Thank you,” he nodded cordially, downing the medicine immediately, biting his tongue to prevent a crass remark from leaving his lips as he tasted the liquid. It was a weird combination of a bitter, peppery and sour taste, the disgusting aftertaste evolving in his mouth as he desperately tried to drown it out with the glass of water on his bedside table, still grimacing at the taste. Madam Pomfrey nodded, reporting his injuries to him.

“It’s only a broken leg, it’ll heal within a day or so if you continue taking the medicine,” the nurse smiled cheerily. “I expect you’ll have visitors, but I won’t allow more than 2 groups a day. Some people are already waiting for you outside.”

_Who could…?_

“Akaashi-chan!”

The voice was all Akaashi needed to know who his visitors were. From the entrance of the ward peeked Oikawa’s head, the captain entering the room without invitation, Iwaizumi and Kageyama right behind him. In Kageyama’s hands was a heavy bag of sweets, settled neatly at the foot of his bed as the trio approached him, the weight of it evident against his unharmed leg. Oikawa was cheerful as usual, though Kageyama and Iwaizumi only had concern on their faces as they watched him.

“How’s your leg?” Iwaizumi asked gruffly, though not unkindly. “I can’t believe Hufflepuff used the announcer to sabotage our win.”

Akaashi tensed on the bed, teeth clenching. “Did Ravenclaw not win?”

Oikawa’s face hardened, the cheeriness dissipating in an instant. “The Hufflepuff seeker took the snitch after you went tumbling to the ground. You were only unconscious for a few moments, but Madam Pomfrey immobilized you before you could feel any more pain, so you probably don’t remember anything.”

Akaashi bit the inside of his cheek. Ravenclaw had lost. They had lost because he’d missed the snitch at the last moment. They lost a game they could have won so easily.

“We brought food, Akaashi-san,” Kageyama offered, throwing a packet of cauldron cakes at him, toss perfectly timed as if to bring him out of his own thoughts. “We thought you would like them, you’re always gorging on this after practice.”

“Thank you,” Akaashi murmured, neatly ripping open the packaging. The sweetness tasted heavenly in his mouth, chocolate overwhelming his senses.

“Needles to say, the announcer was a mess after the game,” Oikawa sighed. “I cannot count how many times he came to me during Transfiguration to apologize to me for hurting you. I honestly didn’t know what to say to him.”

“You nearly beat him up, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi reminded him, a frown etched on his face. “I had to kick your ass before you landed detention and missed practice.”

Oikawa rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and Akaashi cracked a smile.

“On the bright side, you can skip two days of classes,” Kageyama noted, nibbling on a suspicious looking Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Bean, retching slightly at the taste. “I didn’t expect that one to be grass.”

“I hope you get a booger one next time, Tobio-chan!” Oikawa sang, yelping as Iwaizumi kicked him in the butt.

“We’ll be going now, Akaashi,” Iwaizumi nodded, moving the bag of treats to his bedside. “You’ll be up and going in no time, you won’t miss much practice.”

Akaashi nodded to his teammates, watching as they left the hospital wing, leaving him alone in the room. The beds beside him were empty, no other patients in the room, leaving him in complete solitude. Sighing resignedly, he turned, moving to open the bag of treats despite the protests of his injured leg. Slowly, he began sifting through them, taking out packs of whatever looked good, chewing on his lips. Slowly, he began opening the packs of food, chewing on them as he stared into nothingness, unsure of what he could do for the next two days in the ward.

Abruptly, a loud sound interrupted him.

“I’m so sorry, please forgive me!”

Akaashi turned to the source of the sound, finding himself face to face with the Hufflepuff announcer. The spikes in his hair were turned downwards, unlike the strongly gelled ones he’d sported during the match, hair a mop of platinum and black strands, devoid of its usual stiffness. He was holding a bag in his hands (an enticing smell coming from it), eyes apologetic as he looked at Akaashi, the lower half of his body immobilized under the sheets. Slowly, he set down the bag next to the one the Ravenclaws had brought him, bowing low.

“I’m so sorry for the injury,” he repeated, guilt lacing his voice.

“It’s fine,” Akaashi replied, despite the annoyance rising within him. “You didn’t mean to make me lose my balance anyway. Madam Pomfrey will have the break healed within a day or two, it won’t be that bad.”

Bokuto straightened his back, the guilt still in his eyes as he looked at Akaashi, unconvinced at his words. “I have to make it up to you somehow. Ravenclaw lost the match because of me.”

“But you’re from Hufflepuff.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t feel bad about another house losing!” Bokuto insisted, chest puffed up indignantly. “Ravenclaw would have won the match if I hadn’t made that last comment…”

At the mention of Bokuto’s commentary, Akaashi’s heart squeezed lightly. “You really don’t have to make it up to me, Bokuto-san.”

“I insist!” Bokuto shouted, slightly too loudly in the empty hospital wing. “I can’t shake the feeling of guilt whenever I see Oikawa, it’s like he’s staring daggers at me!”

Akaashi grumbled. Oikawa was being an ass, as per usual.

“You really don’t have to make it up to me. I’ll talk to Oikawa-san about it. He really shouldn’t be glaring at you like that.”

“How about Hogsmeade weekend?” Bokuto asked, looking up at him.

Akaashi’s eyes widened as he caught Bokuto’s intense eyes with his own. “It’s this weekend. What about it?”

“I’ll bring you around for Hogsmeade weekend,” Bokuto decided, amidst Akaashi’s quiet protests. “I’ll buy you things while we’re there, to compensate for the injury.”

“Bokuto-san, you really don’t have to.”

“Please at least let me do this,” the Hufflepuff said, voice dropping. “I still feel guilty about the loss, even if Hufflepuff won. I didn’t mean to make you tumble, but it doesn’t change the fact that the injury is my fault.”

Akaashi sighed, looking into the hopeful eyes of the Hufflepuff seventh year. Despite the hope that gleamed in them, it was still backed by guilt, conflict running through them, as if he had stolen candy from a child. There was something endearing about the earnest look on his face, desperate to make it up for the mistake he didn’t even intend to make.

Resigning, he folded his arms. “Fine. But only this weekend.”

“Alright!” Bokuto nodded. “I snuck some food out of the Great Hall for you because the food at the hospital wing isn’t the best. I’ll wait for you in the courtyard on Saturday!”

Bokuto bounded out of the room, steps clearly happier than the dejected walk he’d used when entering the room. As the last trail of the yellow and black robes exited the room, Akaashi turned to look into the bag Bokuto had given him. As he opened it, the scent of freshly prepared food rose in the air, tainting it with the familiar warmth of the Great Hall. Slowly, he took the containers out, cracking them open as his stomach growled, warning him of how dangerously close he was to starvation. Abandoning the sweets Kageyama and his friends had given him, Akaashi shoveled the food Bokuto had snuck out into his mouth, relishing at the warm taste of the familiar, savoury food. With satisfaction, Akaashi noted that his favorites from the Great Hall were in the bag, including roasted potatoes, chicken and various kinds of meat that he usually stole from the kitchens. If anyone else were there, he would’ve taken in his food slower, but in the absence of company, Akaashi found himself devouring all the food, not even sure how long it’d been since he’d eaten.

As he placed the containers of food back into the bag, he settled in the sheets of the hospital bed, closing his eyes as lethargy set in him, the food consumed making his eyes heavy. In several days, he would meet up with Bokuto.

And the smallest part of him was excited.

As the days passed and Akaashi found himself able to walk again, he found the wait for Hogsmeade weekend almost unbearable. He would find himself constantly checking the time during classes, wishing with all the fibre of his being that the time would pass by faster. Grumbling, he begrudgingly worked on his tasks, writing essay after essay next to the Ravenclaw common room fire, itching for the weekend to come closer. Oikawa had noticed, berating him endlessly about his anticipation for the weekend, teasing him about going to Madam Puddifoot’s tea shop for a date. Shoving the image of Bokuto and him at the frilly tea shop, he scratched on his final words for his essay on Moonstones, rolling up the parchment. Hogsmeade weekend would come eventually, it had to.

As he went for quidditch practice during the week, the only thing he was met with was good natured teasing from his teammates as they reenacted Bokuto’s comments during the match, making him flare up as he fought to fight the blush on his cheeks. He barely knew the Hufflepuff team captain, yet their teasing was insufferable, jabbing at Akaashi’s annoyance as he caught balls midair. He flung the quaffle in his hands at Oikawa, who yelped as he raced to catch 3 balls simultaneously, complaints rising in the air.

“Don’t take out your anger on me, Akaashi-chan!”

“You’re the one who started it,” Akaashi pointed out, flinging another quaffle at Oikawa. It hit his chest with a satisfying thump, making the keeper tumble back.

“Ow!” Oikawa complained as he retrieved the falling ball, throwing it back at Akaashi. “I swear I’ll make Iwa-chan hex you!”

As the day finally drew closer, Akaashi found himself staring at the mirror numerous times blankly, setting his Ravenclaw scarf in the hundredth design he had tried that day. Still, it looked weird, too short against his tall frame. He’d worn it in the traditional way almost every day to school, yet in light of Hogsmeade weekend, the signature style of the Ravenclaw scarf seemed odd.

“Akaashi-san, you’ve been staring at the mirror a lot,” Kageyama noted, chewing on the cookie he had in his hand, cheeks full. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Hogsmeade weekend is this week,” Akaashi replied, forcing his tone into casualty. “Nothing much.”

“Other than the fact that you’ve changed the formation of your scarf a hundred times, ‘Kaashi chan!” a voice sing-songed. In an instant, the owner of the voice yelped.

“Akaashi-chan, it’s no fair if you hex me with a non-verbal spell!” Oikawa complained jumping out of his bed, legs held together in a funny position. “Why do you even know how to use a leg locking charm non-verbally?”

“Who knows, Oikawa,” Akaashi replied, slight humor dancing in his voice as he watched the team captain hobble around, legs tied together by invisible string.

“At least un-charm me!”

“Not a chance,” Akaashi quipped, adjusting his scarf for the hundred and oneth time. It still looked weird.

“Who are you going to Hogsmeade weekend with?” Kageyama asked, carefully selecting another cookie to devour from his plate, chomping down on it upon dipping it in milk.

“No one.”

“He says as he adjusts his scarf yet again,” Oikawa laughed as he reached for his wand for a reversal spell, eliciting a sharp glare for Akaashi. Immediately, his eyes widened. “Wait Akaashi-chan, don’t—!”

Before he could say anything, Akaashi turned his wand on Oikawa, willing a spell to shoot from his wand as he did so many times in charms. Oikawa yelped, bats flying out of his nostrils, escaping out of the window. Kageyama stifled his laughter.

“Just how many non verbal hexes can you do?!” 

“A lot.”

At the wane of Oikawa’s teasing, Saturday finally came. Akaashi found himself waking up just as the sun peeked through the large windows of the dorms, quickly getting up to bathe and dress himself, proudly wearing the Ravenclaw scarf around his neck, settling on the traditional way he wore it despite his mind’s complaints. Thoughts of breakfast were abandoned as he slung a backpack over his shoulders, his wand, a book and money pouch tucked inside. Finding himself in the courtyard in under 10 minutes after waking up, Akaashi looked around. No one was there yet; he’d come much too early.

Resigning to his early start, Akaashi settled himself at the fountain of the courtyard, taking the old book out of his bag. He’d borrowed it from the library, entranced by the inked drawings of creatures on the page, revelling at the sight of dragons curling their fangs on the yellowed pages, bits and pieces from old journals stuck onto the book like a field guide, detailed descriptions of each creature written down. Despite his affinity for Care of Magical Creatures, he’d never explored beyond what the wilderness surrounding Hogwarts had to offer. He never saw the dragons he read so much about in books, or the dangerous creatures that lurked different continents of the Earth, or the magical unicorns bounding through forests, despite Hogwarts’ alleged abundance of them.

Soon, Akaashi found himself lost in the book, drinking in the knowledge the old, battered pages had to offer him, taking them in seriously, the buzzing of students around him drowned out as he observed and marked pages. He was lost in it, the only thing on his mind the creatures spanning across the page, the morning nervousness that had twisted his stomach gone. All he could see was the book, and nothing else around him.

“Hey, Akaashi!” a voice called out, snapping him out of his concentration. Looking up, he saw Bokuto standing in front of him. He looked the same as he did before, yellow and black robes fitting comfortably on his wide shoulders, an ecstatic smile on his face. His hair wasn’t gelled up today either, allowing Akaashi to assume that it was something he only did at important games.

Silently, Akaashi thought he looked good with his hair down.

“Bokuto-san,” Akashi acknowledged, standing up from his seat at the fountain. “I was waiting for you.”

“C’mon, we can probably follow the first years into Hogsmeade, it’s faster that way.”

Nodding, Akaashi padded close behind Bokuto, falling into easy conversation with the Hufflepuff. He was as easy going as a person could be, talking about anything in the world, revolving the conversation around Akaashi’s interests. As the entered Hogsmeade, their conversation had shifted to Akaashi’s book, subtle excitement rising in Akaashi as he recounted his favorite magical creatures, rambling on and on about their different characteristics, naming each one of them, from the ones that soared through the sky to the ones that tunneled underground. Bokuto listened intently to his words, focused on everything he said as he slipped in questions, genuine interest painted in his eyes. Several times Akaashi stopped, wondering if he was rambling until Bokuto prompted him with another question, moving Akaashi’s words along.

As they found their way in the Three Broomsticks, Bokuto paid for Akaashi as he had promised, despite Akaashi’s complaints about it. Still, Bokuto ended up wrestling Akaashi away, paying the appropriate amount before they settled in a corner of the popular Hogwarts hangout spot, sipping on their warm butterbeers. This time, Bokuto began talking about Transfiguration, pure joy shining in his eyes as he recounted the amazing things that he’d done in class, telling Akaashi about each and every amazing feat he’d accomplished under his professor’s supervision. Despite his prideful boasting, Akaashi didn’t mind listening to Bokuto, the excitement in his eyes bringing out the interest in his own self, drawn to listening to each and every one of Bokuto’s stories as he kept his scarf close to him, drowning out the cold Autumn air that cut through the wood.

The conversation at the Three Broomsticks had passed much too fast, even if Akaashi knew they’d been there for hours. Stepping out of the restaurant, he could feel Bokuto’s excitement pulsing through him as he dragged him into Honeydukes, insisting that Akaashi bought anything he wanted from the store. Tentatively, Akaashi began picking candies from the shelf, taking his favorites as he walked through the store, Bokuto picking out some of his own snacks for himself. Around them were bustles of other Hogwarts students, but Akaashi could barely hear them as he watched Bokuto stare at piles of candied snacks with concentration, tongue sticking out slightly as he tried to choose something to buy. There was something endearing in the way his concentration painted his face, his effort evident as he tried to choose something to buy, face twisting with conflict as he finally settled on a box of cauldron cakes. Chuckling slightly to himself, Akaashi tore his gaze away from Bokuto, picking up another box of snacks for himself.

“Are you always this serious about choosing candy, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked. He couldn’t help but notice his tone had edged fondness.

“Of course!” Bokuto insisted, piling another box onto his ever-growing stack of treats. “If you’re not serious about what snacks you buy, you’ll have to wait for another Hogsmeade weekend! Who’s going to wait another month to be able to taste candy?”

Before Akaashi could say anything else, Bokuto was already lost on a stack of Honeydukes chocolates, eyes glazed with excitement as he picked out different flavours and kinds to try. Pressing his lips together to force down the smile forming on his face as he watched Bokuto pile all the chocolate flavours into his bag, Akaashi gently encouraged Bokuto towards the payment area, insisting that the sugar would last him for days.

“But I haven’t even gotten to Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans!”

“They sell that at Hogwarts,” Akaashi said pointedly, trying to hide the amusement creeping on his face. “Don’t you think you’ll run out of money from buying this much snacks?”

“I mean, I can always take up tutoring Transfiguration,” Bokuto suggested, taking a place at the line near the counter, eyes concentrated in thought. “Or I could teach quidditch!”

Akaashi sighed as he piled his candies next to Bokuto’s, eyes widening as the witch behind the counter told them their total. But before he could reach for his money bag to help with the payment, Bokuto stopped his arm, giving the lady the adequate amount of galleons, sickles and knuts from his own leather money pouch, placing the different coins neatly on the table.

“Bokuto-san, I can’t let you pay for all that,” Akaashi insisted, pulling out his own money pouch.

“I made you free-fall from 50 feet in the air, or something to that effect,” Bokuto replied, pushing Akaashi’s share of the sweets into his hands. “I should at least compensate you with candy!”

Realizing that the argument would bring him nowhere, Akaashi murmured a polite thank you to Bokuto, following as he dragged Akaashi by the wrist to another shop, the bag of candies in his other hand swinging to match his excitement as he pulled Akaashi into another store, the same excitement he had while exploring the candy shop evident in his eyes as he entered the new store. From the gaudy exterior, Akaashi immediately recognized it.

“Zonko’s Joke Shop?”

“Yeah!” Bokuto replied enthusiastically, dragging Akaashi into the store. The interior was as loud as its overexaggerated exterior design suggested, discomfort rising in Akaashi as people surrounded him in the shop, toys of all kinds, bewitched with all varieties of charms flying around them, displayed proudly at the shop windows. Bokuto’s eyes gleamed as he led Akaashi to a corner of the store, a quieter section with magic boardgames of all sorts displayed. Akaashi watched as Bokuto toyed around with some of them, testing their magic qualities before setting them back on their display.

“Akaashi, are you not going to test out some of them?”

“Toys aren’t what I usually spend my time doing,” Akaashi admitted.

“Then what do you do?”

“School and quidditch. Is there much more to do?”

“There’s a world of things to do,” Bokuto smiled. Before Akaashi could protest, he was seated at the opposite end of a table, cards in Bokuto’s hands, a wide smile on his face. He shuffled the deck of cards, laying them out in an odd formation, passing some of them into Akaashi’s hands.

“Ever play Exploding Snap before?”

Akaashi shook his head, a feeling of unintelligence settling on him. Without hesitation, Bokuto began explaining the rules of the game to him, animatedly demonstrating what to do with wild facial expressions, amusement rippling through Akaashi as he watched the older seventh year explain the game. Within minutes, Akaashi was already beginning to feel the tension in him release as he and Bokuto stayed at the corner of the joke shop, yelps coming from Bokuto as the cards came to life, sparks and flames going through the air from the charms laced into the cards, a short laugh escaping Akaashi’s lips as a spark caught Bokuto’s robe, barely able to stomp it out before it became a bigger fire.

As the day went on, they kept replaying the same game of Exploding Snap, satisfaction coursing through Akaashi as he beat Bokuto, grinning and the pout on Bokuto’s face, requesting for another game almost immediately. Around them, the chaotic scene of the shop soon quietened down, yet there they still stayed, playing their dozenth game of Exploding Snap. They even had a scoreboard next to them, points tallied as games were played, both intense as they focused.

“It’s not fair that I’m playing against a Ravenclaw,” Bokuto complained as Akaashi won his eighth game. “Your strategy making is too good!”

“As I’m aware from your commentary,” Akaashi mumbled, amusement evident in his voice.

At his words, Bokuto’s ears turned pink. “Y-Yeah!”

“It’s your fault for challenging a Ravenclaw to a game of wits.”

“It’s Exploding Snap!”

“It’s strategy, Bokuto-san.”

As they finished their last game of Exploding Snap (the score now being 42 to 8, Akaashi in the far lead, much to Bokuto’s dissatisfaction), they returned the game from where they’d found it, exiting the joke shop.

Hogsmeade at night was far different than what it was in the morning. Lamp posts glowed in the dark as they made their way through the area, wind even colder than what it was in the morning. Shivering slightly, Akaashi pulled his scarf closer to him, aware of Bokuto’s gaze on him. Without a word, the Hufflepuff wrapped his own scarf around Akaashi’s shoulders. Bokuto’s scent surrounded him, a weird, yet comforting, combination of coffee, butterbeer and warmth, tingling in his nose. Turning to look at him, Akaashi tilted his head.

“You didn’t need to give me your scarf.”

“You’re cold,” Bokuto pointed out simply. “Should there be any more reason not to give you a scarf?”

The rest of the journey continued in comfortable silence, the only thing filling the air the padding of their feet against the stone pathway, slowly crossing the bridge on their path back to Hogwarts. The extra scarf felt warm against his neck, covering it from the chill, comforting him. There was something comfortable about being with Bokuto. It wasn’t in the way his loud personality stuck out to him, or in the profuse way he had apologized and made up for the injury to Akaashi. It was in the small, childish things he did, like the way he looked at candy so intently, or how his cheeks tinged pink with happiness as he drank his butterbeer, or in the way he chased after Akaashi, yelling as he lost another game of Exploding Snap. It was in the tiny things he did that he himself wasn’t even conscious of that made Akaashi feel comfortable.

There was something special about Bokuto.

And even as Akaashi watched the dual haired boy disappear behind the Hufflepuff common room doors, bidding a last goodbye to the troublesome announcer he’d spent his day with, he could feel his heart beat faster, eyes gazing at the last sight of the robe. As he laid in bed that night, passing out almost immediately, the last thought on his mind remained Bokuto’s childish smile, his melodic laughter, his weird antics.

And for the rest of his days, the only thing that would remain in his mind was Bokuto Koutarou.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed it! if you did, please consider dropping a kudos and comment, it would mean so much <3
> 
> — turnabout cafe


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